Reports: ‘Dallas’ star Larry Hagman dies at 81

Several media outlets reported on Friday that TV icon Larry Hagman, who made oilman “J.R. Ewing” a household name, has died.

The actor passed away at a Dallas hospital at age 81, after suffering complications from cancer, the Dallas Morning News reports.

His “Dallas” co-stars Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy were reportedly at Hagman’s side when the actor died at Medical City Dallas Hospital.

The Morning News reports:

“Larry was back in his beloved Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved most, the family said in a statement. Larry’s family and close friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday. When he passed, he was surrounded by loved ones. It was a peaceful passing, just as he had wished for.”

Hagman became a superstar in Dallas, the classic 1980s drama about a Texas family fighting over their oil empire. His shooting on the show had the whole world asking, “Who shot J.R.?”

But “Dallas” wasn’t his breakout role. He’s also remembered for playing astronaut Maj. Anthony Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie.

Earlier this year, Hagman returned to his most famous role in TNT’s Dallas reboot, which also featured Gray and Duffy. The show is set for a second season in 2013.

Hagman was born in Fort Worth to a Broadway actress and a prosecutor, an Wikipedia biography says, and his parents divorced in 1936, when he was 5. Hagman lived in California with his wife of nearly 60 years, the former Maj Axelsson, who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s, according to the Chicago Tribune.